Duke Roufus: It’s “Looking Hopeful” That CM Punk Will Fight in The UFC Next

It’s looking more and more like CM Punk’s next bout will be with the Ultimate Fighting Championship after all.

Following Punk’s MMA debut in September, which saw him quickly submitted by Mickey Gall at UFC 203, UFC boss man Dana White said the pro-wrestling star’s next fight “probably” wouldn’t be with the promotion. Most people seemed to believe that White was just being polite, and that in fact, there was almost zero chance Punk would be stepping into the Octagon anytime soon.

But, more recently, Punk reported that he’s been in talks with White, and that he was “pretty confident” he’ll be fighting in the UFC next. Now the Chicago fighter’s head coach, Duke Roufus, is reporting the same. Recently Roufus told MMA Fighting the following:

“Yeah, definitely, I believe he and Dana are talking,” said Roufus. “I just talked to Punk on Monday before that, and things are looking hopeful. I can’t say yes or no, but they’re looking hopeful. We’re going to see. Dana’s always got a good recipe of what he’s going to create, and what’s best for the sport, and what’s best for Punk and everyone else.”

The renowned coach also said he believes Punk could fight again in about four or five months, so, it clearly looks like the UFC has something in mind here. There’s been speculation as to whether Punk might be incorporated into a TUF season, but nothing concrete has emerged yet. Maybe the UFC will just book Punk for an upcoming card?

So, this news is likely going to upset many purists and hardcore fans. But, if Punk does fight again in the UFC, it shouldn’t come as that big of a shocker. UFC 203 is believed to have sold over 400,000 PPV buys, which made it one of the top selling cards of the year that didn’t feature Conor McGregor.